Do you think 3d printers will become commonplace in homes?

[mmntech]

Layers of material = low shear resistance. Not an issue with prototype, but for real products it's a no no.

And Ford's contribution is assembly line, not automobiles.

Well, he did invent an affordable automobile, thanks to the assembly line.

There's going to be room for mass-produced injection-molded parts for quite awhile. Those machines measure cycle time in seconds.

Bottlecaps, for instance: One mold can eject a few hundred caps each time it opens, and it's going to do that every few seconds. They'll have engineers work on ways to reduce that cycle time by 0.1 seconds, because that can save them millions of dollars a year.
Injection molding is cheap (in quantity), and it can be damn fast, and fairly accurate.

Accuracy is definitely an issue. You can't do a lot of intricate detail on 3D printers that you can do with injection molding. I've seen people try to create LP albums using them, but the sound quality is worse than a bad telephone connection.

 

[Phoenix86]

Consumer-grade 3d printers could create something resembling a Lego brick. It probably won't give a good snap-fit though. And it'll probably take 15 minutes to print one brick.

If it's economical time is really moot (to a degree). Give it materials and let it print for a week. Voila, a collection most kids would shit their pants over. That level of accuracy is really close now on consumer stuff, give it a few years.

Cost will go down, speed, accuracy, and materials will improve. None of these changes require new tech, just economy of scale and expertise with existing tech.

Lego knows this.

 

[BoberFett]

Layers of material = low shear resistance. Not an issue with prototype, but for real products it's a no no.

And Ford's contribution is assembly line, not automobiles.

Good point. And as we all know, technology never advances, so you're probably right.

 

[Rakehellion]

3D printers will become more common than 2D printers. No one uses paper anymore, but everyone loves free crap.

 

[MongGrel]

In the near future, I do not.

 

[Rakehellion]

Everyone is thinking of what they can build with a 3D printer, but your average consumer will just print crap they downloaded from Tumblr.

 

[sdifox]

Good point. And as we all know, technology never advances, so you're probably right.

Now you are going to tell me you can defy physics.

This is akin to producing graphite and calling it diamond.

 

[arkcom]

3D printers will do to manufacturing what copiers did to the book industry... nothing.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

Will manufacturers and importers rush to patent and trademark their shitty plastic trinkets in an attempt to stop the horrors of 3d printing on their markets?

 

[Leros]

I don't think 3D printers will be in everyone's home or even everyone's shop, but I do think everyone will have access to 3D printers at local businesses (which we're already seeing at places like Kinkos and Staples.

 

[mmntech]

If it's economical time is really moot (to a degree). Give it materials and let it print for a week. Voila, a collection most kids would shit their pants over. That level of accuracy is really close now on consumer stuff, give it a few years.

Cost will go down, speed, accuracy, and materials will improve. None of these changes require new tech, just economy of scale and expertise with existing tech.

Lego knows this.

That's really the rub isn't it. I bet all the copyright and patent lawyers are salivating over the chance to get in on the first 3D printer IP violation lawsuit.

 

[arkcom]

That's really the rub isn't it. I bet all the copyright and patent lawyers are salivating over the chance to get in on the first 3D printer IP violation lawsuit.

There's already been one. But it was a guy suing a company for selling his GPL design.

 

[gorobei]

makerbot stalls at select home depot locations, selling and demo station.
http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/14/makerbot-3d-printers-at-home-depot/

looks like mostly SF bay area.

 

[fridgers]

Lots of new and better 3d printers have been coming out, still need much more improvement before they're ready for residential use.

Btw this is pretty amazing, a 3d cement printer: http://forums.reprap.org/read.php?1,215669,page=6

 

[John Connor]

I just want a printer that will output a green eyed blonde cheerleader.

 

[fridgers]

Amazing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9IdZ2pI5dA

 

[TheSlamma]

How many people have a cnc router?

I do. It's not that easy to use, and a 3D printer is even worse. It won't be worth it for most people.

This, I've also used both. IMO it's kind of an engineers tool or a power user at best.

I've worked with many of the more consumer brands, Lulzbot, Makerbot and the Cube. the Cube is by far the most trouble free and end user friendly but of course with that the least powerful. Printing off a simple chess piece takes an hour. Given the physical limits of how an extruder works these speeds really will not get any better, I think you will find a lot of this is still better done with injection mold or the more commercial grade 3D printers that sell in the tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars

 

[twinrider1]

No.

What does the average person need that would make a 3d printer useful enough to buy and learn to use?
And will it ever become easier than browsing on Amazon and having it on your doorstep in 2 days?

 

[Childs]

When they can do plastic and metal in the same machine I can see a DRM system similar to something like iTunes where you order your item, the machine downloads the specs, the pieces are printed and you assemble it like Ikea stuff.

But more than likely Amazon will improve the coverage on their Same Day service, so printing parts yourself and assembling probably won't make sense for most people depending on the cost of the printer.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I think they'll become as common as drill presses, table saws, and planers. Not everyone will have one, but everyone will know someone who does.

This.

Most people don't have a need or desire to make their own thing that they imagined. At least not often enough to pay a large sum of money for a machine which eats plastic and has to be maintained regularly.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Everyone is thinking of what they can build with a 3D printer, but your average consumer will just print crap they downloaded from Tumblr.

WarHammer 40k figurines. All. Day. Long.

Okay, yeah, I don't have a receipt from ForgeWorld. But how would you know I didn't buy it secondhand? They're just painted plastic anyway.

 

[gorobei]

Amazing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9IdZ2pI5dA

very cool, not the same as some of the amazing shapes you can get from the laser sintering 3d printers, but the ability to add/subtract is a good step forward.

 

[alkemyst]

When they can do plastic and metal in the same machine I can see a DRM system similar to something like iTunes where you order your item, the machine downloads the specs, the pieces are printed and you assemble it like Ikea stuff.

But more than likely Amazon will improve the coverage on their Same Day service, so printing parts yourself and assembling probably won't make sense for most people depending on the cost of the printer.

The plan with costs to store items becoming higher and higher, there will be a 3D printer that is capable of printing out most needs in a home.

What will be sold is raw materials and the 'blueprints'.

3D printers are getting more capable and smaller (and cheaper) practically daily. There is a big push for this technology to drive other technologies.

When TV came out, no one even imagined 100"+ screens in full color with razor sharp definition either.

 

[Childs]

The plan with costs to store items becoming higher and higher, there will be a 3D printer that is capable of printing out most needs in a home.

What will be sold is raw materials and the 'blueprints'.

3D printers are getting more capable and smaller (and cheaper) practically daily. There is a big push for this technology to drive other technologies.

When TV came out, no one even imagined 100"+ screens in full color with razor sharp definition either.

While 3D printing has come a long way, it has an even longer way to go before it could justify the cost for most people. Even if the high end printers right now only costs $100, there doesn't seem to be many practical uses for it in everyday life. I would buy one of course, but then after a week or two it would sit right next to where it is I put my Dremel. When they can make complex parts that will be a different story, but for the most part right now it seems like a really expensive toy.

But whats funny is if this thing actually took off, manufacturers would not have to pay for assembly, shipping or raw materials, but I bet costs will not go down.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

But whats funny is if this thing actually took off, manufacturers would not have to pay for assembly, shipping or raw materials, but I bet costs will not go down.

No bet.